Who has a METAS movement that is losing time?

ScubaPro · Jan 17, 2019

One thing I've noticed with all my watches is the more active the day, the more the watch is wound and the more accurate it is. This makes sense as the power delivered from the mainspring is most consistent in a higher state of winding, but watchmakers/engineers have done amazing things with getting more consistent performance out of the mainspring when the watch is less wound than is optimal. Having multiple barrels is supposed to mitigate this phenomenon (which is loosely defined in the bounds of isochronism). Interesting thing: all my modern Rolex models seem to keep the best time after about a year or two of daily wear. I swear, I think they get used to my movement patterns and learn from it. Impossible, I know, for they are mere machines. But still . . .

Archer · Jan 17, 2019

POinNY
Do you have any advice on how to gain the time lost? I mentioned in the original post that I lose around 1.5 sec during the 15 hours of the day it’s worn. It’s off the wrist for 8 hours at night. During that time it’s set crown up but only gains back maybe 3/4 of a second. This is the “fast” position but it’s not fast enough in that it doesn’t regain all the time lost during the day. So time is still in a deficit when I put it on the wrist in the morning. I think this is the only fast position as well.

Any input?

I would fully wind the watch using the crown, set the time using a known reliable time source, let it sit for 24 hours dial up, and check it after that time to note the gain or loss.

Repeat for the other 5 positions, and determine which of the 6 is truly the fastest. This test will likely give you slightly different results to the results Omega gives you with their report since it will be your watch right now in real conditions that include any effects of the change in state of wind. This is a test I do on every watch I service and I let the owner know what the fast and slow positions are in the documentation I send back with the watch.

Note that if the slow position is one that your wearing habits happen to favour, and the fast position is not all that fast, then you might not be able to compensate using this method.

I often get customers who want the watch I’m servicing for them to be adjusted “as close to zero as possible” for the average rate, and although I’m fine to do that if they want I always caution them that the closer you make it to zero, the greater the chances that you may end up with a slow watch on your wrist in daily wear. Trying to get too close to perfect is a double edged sword...and this is why Omega sets “target rates” that are usually +3 seconds per day for the average rate (depending on the movement).

Cheers, Al

POinNY · Jan 17, 2019

Archer
I would fully wind the watch using the crown, set the time using a known reliable time source, let it sit for 24 hours dial up, and check it after that time to note the gain or loss.

Repeat for the other 5 positions, and determine which of the 6 is truly the fastest. This test will likely give you slightly different results to the results Omega gives you with their report since it will be your watch right now in real conditions that include any effects of the change in state of wind. This is a test I do on every watch I service and I let the owner know what the fast and slow positions are in the documentation I send back with the watch.

Note that if the slow position is one that your wearing habits happen to favour, and the fast position is not all that fast, then you might not be able to compensate using this method.

I often get customers who want the watch I’m servicing for them to be adjusted “as close to zero as possible” for the average rate, and although I’m fine to do that if they want I always caution them that the closer you make it to zero, the greater the chances that you may end up with a slow watch on your wrist in daily wear. Trying to get too close to perfect is a double edged sword...and this is why Omega sets “target rates” that are usually +3 seconds per day for the average rate (depending on the movement).

Cheers, Al

Super helpful reply. Thank you sir. I will do the test you mentioned in the different positions, although my hunch is that the fast position (crown up) is the fastest position for this watch but just isn’t fast enough, leaving me with a watch that will always be slow

Theluglife · Jan 18, 2019

I guess if @fakinbacon's watch comes back from Omega with no payment necessary then Omega thinks that losing time is not within spec. If they end up charging for the service then it implies that they think the watch was running within spec to begin with. Let us know what happens @fakinbacon.

ama98 · Jan 18, 2019

My Diver 300M is 2 months old and it is within the METAS standards. Never run slow.

Archer · Jan 18, 2019

T Theluglife
I guess if @fakinbacon's watch comes back from Omega with no payment necessary then Omega thinks that losing time is not within spec. If they end up charging for the service then it implies that they think the watch was running within spec to begin with. Let us know what happens @fakinbacon.

Not sure I would make that connection. It’s possible that they may find something unrelated that would require warranty service, or that they regulate it as a courtesy.

fakinbacon · Jan 18, 2019

T Theluglife
I guess if @fakinbacon's watch comes back from Omega with no payment necessary then Omega thinks that losing time is not within spec. If they end up charging for the service then it implies that they think the watch was running within spec to begin with. Let us know what happens @fakinbacon.

I will be sure to update here once I get any word.

POinNY · Jan 18, 2019

Archer
Not sure I would make that connection. It’s possible that they may find something unrelated that would require warranty service, or that they regulate it as a courtesy.

That’s been my experience. Omega is very good about making adjustments and doing work even outside of warranty as a courtesy

BlackTalon · Jan 18, 2019

I was 3 seconds late to a meeting this morning. I am not sure what happened to my watch, but it usually runs fast, and not slow. After reading through this thread I now know what to do. I already called my wife an indicated there would be some 'positional variance' over the next few days. I will report back on my watch after the weekend.

alam · Jan 18, 2019

Every time I read these threads about watches loosing/gaining a few seconds here and there in a 24/48 period, I wonder how many of my watches are completely are out of whack as I rarely wear the same watch for more than couple of days in a row...so, consider this post as part of my full disclosure if buying a watch from me!

😀

Duckie · Jan 18, 2019

BlackTalon
I was 3 seconds late to a meeting this morning. I am not sure what happened to my watch, but it usually runs fast, and not slow. After reading through this thread I now know what to do. I already called my wife an indicated there would be some 'positional variance' over the next few days. I will report back on my watch after the weekend.

LOL.
Positional variance.
I like that.

Just how many positional variations are we looking at anyway?

Archer · Jan 18, 2019

alam
Every time I read these threads about watches loosing/gaining a few seconds here and there in a 24/48 period, I wonder how many of my watches are completely are out of whack as I rarely wear the same watch for more than couple of days in a row...so, consider this post as part of my full disclosure if buying a watch from me!

😀

Some people obsess about timekeeping, and some about original yellow case back seals and springs bars. Horses for courses...

😀

POC67 · Jan 18, 2019

My Planet Ocean Chronograph 9900 is 1 month old.

According to the Metas testing result, my watch gain on average 0.1 spd.

However, when I wear it, it lose about 2 spd.

When I rest it with dial down, it gains about 0.7 spd.

Dial up, 9 up and 3 up, it lose about 1 spd.

12 up, it lose about 2.5 spd.

Now I try to rest it with 6 up.

I will update the result.

I prefer my watch to gain 5 spd instead of losing 0.5 spd.

POC67 · Jan 18, 2019

fakinbacon
Call me crazy but I'd actually prefer anywhere up to +4/day over as little as -.5/day. I always prefer watches to run fast so that you can quickly reset it to real time by simply hacking the seconds, rather than having to adjust the minute hand.

+ 1.

EliteOps · Jan 19, 2019

So I have a PO with 8900 movement. The second hand was jumping when I’d adjust the time so I sent it in to the New Jersey facility for warranty work. It’s barely a year old. After two months they did replace the minute wheel and did a partial service on it. I invested in the watch winder box as I have a few automatics and since the watch came back to me from Omega I invested in a watch winder box as I have a few automatics and since the watch came back to me from Omega I noticed that I was losing about two to 1-3 spd. I left it out of the box last night face up on my dresser and today I am Dead on which means I gained a few seconds.
Explain that!

Foo2rama · Jan 19, 2019

EliteOps
So I have a PO with 8900 movement. The second hand was jumping when I’d adjust the time so I sent it in to the New Jersey facility for warranty work. It’s barely a year old. After two months they did replace the minute wheel and did a partial service on it. I invested in the watch winder box as I have a few automatics and since the watch came back to me from Omega I invested in a watch winder box as I have a few automatics and since the watch came back to me from Omega I noticed that I was losing about two to 1-3 spd. I left it out of the box last night face up on my dresser and today I am Dead on which means I gained a few seconds.
Explain that!

Easy to explain... did you read this thread? It’s been covered multiple times.

EliteOps · Jan 19, 2019

Foo2rama
Easy to explain... did you read this thread? It’s been covered multiple times.

I had not but did now, thank you. Took me a day to get verified to post. My real question is...after service by, Omega. Am I still set to METAS standards? Does servicing at Omega mean it was recalibrate to the METAS specs?

Foo2rama · Jan 19, 2019

EliteOps
I had not but did now, thank you. Took me a day to get verified to post. My real question is...after service by, Omega. Am I still set to METAS standards? Does servicing at Omega mean it was recalibrate to the METAS specs?

Yes but metas specs does not mean it might in real world use run slightly slow.

POinNY · Jan 19, 2019

P POC67
My Planet Ocean Chronograph 9900 is 1 month old.

According to the Metas testing result, my watch gain on average 0.1 spd.

However, when I wear it, it lose about 2 spd.

When I rest it with dial down, it gains about 0.7 spd.

Dial up, 9 up and 3 up, it lose about 1 spd.

12 up, it lose about 2.5 spd.

Now I try to rest it with 6 up.

I will update the result.

I prefer my watch to gain 5 spd instead of losing 0.5 spd.

I can see why. Your watch has an average of 0.1 seconds per day which is so close to 0.0 and I can easily see why you’re in a deficit after 24hrs.

POC67 · Jan 19, 2019

POinNY
I can see why. Your watch has an average of 0.1 seconds per day which is so close to 0.0 and I can easily see why you’re in a deficit after 24hrs.

Yes.

I just finished resting my watch in 6 up position for 24 hours, it gains 0.4 spd.

Who has a METAS movement that is losing time?

ScubaPro

Archer

POinNY

Theluglife

ama98

Archer

fakinbacon

POinNY

BlackTalon

alam

Duckie

Archer

POC67

POC67

EliteOps

Foo2rama

EliteOps

Foo2rama

POinNY

POC67

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